Vitamins 'may shorten your life'

Research has suggested vitamin supplements do not extend life and could even lead to a premature death.

A review of 67 studies found "no convincing evidence" that antioxidant supplements cut the risk of dying.

Scientists at Copenhagen University said vitamins A and E could interfere with the body's natural defences.

"Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality," according to the review by the respected Cochrane Collaboration.

The research involved selecting various studies from 817 on beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium which the team felt were the most likely to fairly reflect the benefits of the supplements.

It has been thought that these supplements may be able to prevent damage to the body's tissues called "oxidative stress" by eliminating the molecules called "free radicals" which are said to cause it.

This damage has been implicated in several major diseases including cancer and heart disease.

'Just eat well'

The trials involved 233,000 people who were either sick or were healthy and taking supplements for disease prevention.

VITAL VITAMIN FACTS Vitamin A: Found in? Oily fish, eggs and liver; Good for? Thought to boost immune system, and help skin, sight and sperm formation Vitamin C: Found in? Many fruit and vegetables; Good for? Helps heal wounds and assists the body in absorbing iron, may boost the immune system Vitamin E: Found in? Vegetable oils, seeds and nuts; Good for? May help boost circulation and keep elderly people active Beta-carotene: Found in? Vegetables that are reddish-orange in colour; Good for? May boost vision and keep the mind sharp Selenium: Found in? Butter, nuts, liver and fish; Good for? May boost the immune system How many take vitamins? Between 10-20% of people in the West How much is the global market worth? About $2.5bn (£1.3bn)

After various factors were taken into account and a further 20 studies excluded, the researchers linked vitamin A supplements to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7% increased risk and vitamin E to a 4% increased risk.

Vitamin C did not appear to have any effect one way or the other, and the team said more work was needed into this supplement - as well as into selenium.

In conclusion, "we found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention," they said.

It was unclear exactly why the supplements could have this effect, but the team speculated that they could interfere with how the body works: beta-carotene, for instance, is thought to change the way a body uses fats.

The Department of Health said people should try to get the vitamins they need from their diet, and avoid taking large doses of supplements - a market which is worth over £330m in the UK.

"There is a need to exercise caution in the use of high doses of purified supplements of vitamins, including antioxidant vitamins, and minerals," a spokesperson said.

"Their impact on long-term health may not have been fully established and they cannot be assumed to be without risk."

A 'stitch-up'

But the Health Supplements Information Service, which is funded by the association which represents those who sell supplements, said many people were simply not able to get everything they needed from their diet.

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Dr Rosemary Leonard's advice on vitamins

"For the millions who are not able to do that, vitamins can be a useful supplement and they should not stop taking them," said spokeswoman Pamela Mason.

Another nutritionist who has formulated supplements described the review as a "stitch-up" and only reviewed studies which examined the effect they had on reducing mortality, rather than other advantages.

"Antioxidants are not meant to be magic bullets and should not be expected to undo a lifetime of unhealthy habits," said Patrick Holford.

"But when used properly, in combination with eating a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise and not smoking, antioxidant supplements can play an important role in maintaining and promoting overall health."

Bad news for all of those people living under the illusion that a kiwi-strawberry flavored vitamin water and a handful of centrum are doing something to improve their health. Not that I don't believe that vitamins and supplements are useful; in fact, I think they can be really helpful for a number of conditions and ailments, especially in the short term. The worrying thing is that many Americans falsely believe that they are getting all the nutrients they need from "enriched" processed foods and/or vitamins. This reminds me of another article I read recently about truth in advertising in the food industry. For instance, "whole grain" doesn't mean whole wheat, but most consumers don't recognize the difference. Many studies have shown that whole grain foods like whole wheat or whole rye breads have lots of health benefits (protection against cancers and heart disease, etc.). But most breads and similar products that say "whole grain" contain some small portion of one of these whole grains while the rest is just enriched wheat flour, which usually has all the nutrients stripped out during processing but has some vitamins added back in. These products are not really any healthier than other processed products, but they are designed to make consumers think they are. Just something to consider. You can't get around the fact that humans need to eat healthy to be healthy--you can't balance out a Baconator with a couple of vitamins.